U.S. Clean Energy Jobs Surge with Growing Unionization in 2023

Jobs in the U.S. clean energy sector surged at more than double the rate of overall job growth in 2023. Unionization in clean energy also surpassed that of the wider energy industry, driven by legislative measures and investments in solar, wind, and battery storage. Despite the growth, gender disparity remains.

In an unprecedented shift, the U.S. clean energy sector saw job growth more than double the national average in 2023, according to the Energy Department's latest report. Unionization rates in this industry also outpaced the broader energy sector for the first time.

Jobs in clean energy businesses, which include wind, solar, nuclear, and battery storage, increased by 142,000 or 4.2% last year. This is a significant jump from the 3.9% rise in 2022 and is well above the country's overall job growth rate of 2% for 2023. Unionization rates in clean energy hit 12.4%, surpassing the 11% in the overall energy business, largely due to growth in construction and utility industries following legislation like the bipartisan CHIPS Act and President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

Betony Jones, head of energy jobs at the Department of Energy, noted that investment-driven construction jobs in clean energy are expected to drive growth for decades, providing continuous employment opportunities across various projects. However, sectors like fossil fuels presented a mixed picture: natural gas jobs rose by 13.3%, while petroleum and coal jobs saw declines. Despite gains in employment, the energy sector remains male-dominated, with women only accounting for 17% of new jobs in 2023, down from half in 2022.